Black Market Connections

Enchantment

At the beginning of your precombat main phase, choose or of more —

• Create a Treasure token. You lose 1 life. (It's a colourless artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any colour.")
• Draw a card. You lose 2 life.
• Create a 3/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. You lose 3 life. (It has every creature type.)

Tokens

• Shapeshifter 3/2 C
• Treasure

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (48)

DemonDragonJ on Clash of the Titans

5 days ago

I have replaced Crystal Ball and Pain Magnification with Black Market Connections and Mayael's Aria, since I feel that those cards are better suited to this deck.

legendofa on Which Card Should Replace Pain …

2 weeks ago

If you can reliably hit a 20-power creature, Mayael's Aria is an upkeep win condition. So it's slow, but if you keep your board stable and protected, it wins games. Black Market Connections is more generally useful, but doesn't close out a game by itself.

If you feel like the deck is well-covered in fundamentals like card draw and mana fixing, and can reliably go tall enough, Aria can win games that have stalled out. The +1/+1 counters and lifegain are useful, but may not be able to completely recover a losing game or break open a stalled game. If draw or mana are consistent or even occasional problems, I recommend BMC.

DemonDragonJ on Which Card Should Replace Pain …

2 weeks ago

I have a copy of Pain Magnification in my Progenitus EDH deck, but I intend to replace it, as it is a fairly useless card in that deck, and I am currently considering two different cards as potential replacements for it: Black Market Connections and Mayael's Aria, as I believe that either of those cards would be a far better match for this deck, but I am not certain which of those two cards I should choose, so I certainly shall appreciate the feedback of other users, here.

What does everyone else say about this subject? Which card is the better replacement for Pain Magnification?

wallisface on How is Black Market Connections …

2 weeks ago

Keep in mind Black Market Connections is printed directly into an eternal-legal set, where as the other cards you mention were printed into standard. Context matters.

Added to that, that the life-loss from this is a lot higher than the other cards you mentioned. I wouldn’t consider this card busted until I saw some playrate data to back up these claims.

DemonDragonJ on How is Black Market Connections …

2 weeks ago

Black Market Connections is an amazing card, and I have copies of it in several of my decks, but I wonder how it is at all balanced, given that it produces so much value for a relatively small and one-time payment of mana. It heavily outclasses both Bitterblossom and Phyrexian Arena in a significant number of situations, and has a very lenient mana cost, so I think that it would have been perfectly balanced at 4 mana (with a heavier color weight in its cost; i.e., {2}{B}{B}).

What does everyone else say about this? How is Black Market Connections at all balanced?

DiscoPanda1803 on I... Cry... When Angels Deserve to DIEEEEEEE!!!!

1 month ago

Thanks DemonDragonJ, they are my favorite as well, it's always great meet another angel enthusiast.

Regarding your considerations:

For Deathbringer Liege, he is in a very crowded slot, the five mana spot have a lot sweet angels, if you put him next to Baneslayer Angel, he is strickly a better creature, but again... ANGELS. Also still hurts me take Witch of the Moors out, if a could fit her back in, i probaly will. But is something to consider, the removal built in is very intresting.

As for Thought Vessel and Reliquary Tower, i din't feel the need for expand my hand size, never really bothered me. Aside from the moment that i put in Necropotence for a little while, than i needed those cards kkk, but i moved to another deck.

As for Greed, i whanted to put it, in a early version of the deck, but i alredy own Arguel's Blood Fast  ^Flip, so used insted, and it put a lot of work, that i decide to stick with it. When Black Market Connections realease, i make the change for that. I personaly believe that you can't have such think as "too much draw", so i don't know what i take it out for put Greed in, but i not shure if is that much better than Arguel's Blood Fast  ^Flip.

As for Debt to the Deathless, i don't think is that much efficient, the way i see it, you have to sink in a lot mana to make count, the only way my deck can make that much mana is with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, so i don't know if is a good idea dedicated a slot for that card, with a small chance to make a splash.

As for your question regarding Fellwar Stone it never was a problem to me, it fix my mana somethimes, but most of the times i alredy have the lands to do that, it is in there mostly because of the limited amount of mana rocks that exists for only 2 mana, but if i feel the need, Thought Vessel is a solid replacement, as you suggested.

Sorry for the long ass response. Again, i appreciate the love for the deck, feel free to give more suggestions, flavor choices are welcome too.

DoctorMunchiesPHD on A Pimp Named Sliver Overlord

1 month ago

Mortlocke Well then welcome to the deck Essence Sliver lmao, thanks for the tip my friend, Black Market Connections just got alot better.

Pheardemons on Mishra's Relentless Horde

1 month ago

Profet93 Thank you for the suggestions and kind words!

Carnival of Souls I don't think is a good and for here since I make so many tokens. The lifeless is negligible with Mishra's lifegain, but it's one of those I would probably need to won the turn it came down.

I do agree and like Dockside Extortionist, but not for Black Market Connections. I understand the ramp aspect, but all three modes of Black Market Connections works for this deck. I'd rather find another cut for it. I'd probably have to sit down after work and think about it.

Anger is relatively new because of the mountain aspect. Plus the lack of discard. He's good in general, but he really hasn't shown up a lot as of now. I do agree I probably want a couple more haste options. I have liked Roar of Resistance, but i have tried to add another haste option.

I have playtested the deck since I posted it on here. I just haven't updated the description so it looks like I just built it. What're two other potential options you'd think about taking out for Dockside Extortionist and/or a third haste option (right now Hammer)